Hugh Bonneville biography

Paddington 2

Born in London, Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts and at the National Youth Theatre. He landed his first professional acting job with the Open Air Theatre in 1986, then joined the National Theatre and in 1991, secured a place with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company.

Despite working steadily for years in television and film, it wasn't until he landed a starring role as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in the critically acclaimed and Golden Globe award-winning television series Downton Abbey that he began to be recognized. For his work on the series, Hugh has been nominated for two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe and he shared a Screen Actors Guild Award with the rest of the cast in 2013 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

The popularity Hugh has gained from the show has led to him being cast in major Hollywood motion pictures such as The Monuments Men (2014), directed by and starring George Clooney. Hugh has also appeared in Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and plays the lead role of Mr. Brown in Paddington (2014) and the sequel Paddington 2 (2018), based on the childrens' series of books. In addition to those roles, Hugh also plays the final British Viceroy of India in 2017's Viceroy's House as well as stars in the romantic drama Breathe (2017). In 2018, he'll star in Paddington 2.

Hugh married Lulu Evans in 1998 and they have a son, Felix. They live in West Sussex. His charity work includes being a patron of the British charity Scene & Heard, which teams children and professional actors to put on short plays together. He also lends his support to the Medical Emergency Relief International, which sends medical teams to worldwide emergencies.